The City of West Hollywood is committed to providing comprehensive assistance to people who are experiencing homelessness in the City. The City’s Homeless Initiative addresses homelessness with a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, collaborative response and works in close partnership with the City’s contracted and collaborative nonprofit social services providers, the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, and Los Angeles County agencies.
In December 2021, the City Council of the City of West Hollywood gave authorization to City staff to apply for a Project Homekey grant from the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development. Homekey is an innovative partnership between Los Angeles County and the State of California to purchase and rehabilitate hotels and motels for interim housing. The City’s Homekey application envisions the purchase of the Holloway Motel, located at 8465 Santa Monica Boulevard to be updated, rehabilitated, and operated as an interim housing site for people who are experiencing homelessness to move off the streets with case management and supportive services, with the goal of identifying and securing permanent housing.
Homekey funding, if approved, will provide a multi-million investment to assist in realizing this project. The West Hollywood City Council has additionally approved an allocation of $2.8 million from the City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund to meet the required City match for operations and services if a Homekey grant is awarded. Interim housing would typically provide a stay of up to 90 days to stabilize community members and assist them with getting the necessary care and resources to find permanent housing. The project plans would call for considerable physical improvements to the site and operations would include appropriate security measures and 24/7 onsite staff.
A survey conducted of West Hollywood residents in November 2021 by FM3 Research, found that 90 percent of respondents ranked homelessness as a very or somewhat serious issue (72 percent “very serious” and 18 percent “somewhat serious”) making this one of the most significant issues of concern for the community. The survey also found strong support among residents for interventions to address homelessness. Of those surveyed, 79 percent of respondents supported increasing the prioritization of “Supportive Housing, including homeless services, within City limits” (52 percent “much more of a priority” and 27 percent “somewhat more of a priority”). 76 percent of respondents supported increasing prioritization of “City-funded temporary shelter beds and homeless services provided within City limits,” (50 percent “much more of a priority” and 26 percent “somewhat more of a priority”).
The work of the West Hollywood Homeless Initiative is established in part in the 2018 “Five-Year Plan to Address Homelessness in Our Community.” In partnership with the community, and with funding support from LA County Measure H, the plan identifies seven specific goals – and key actions to reach these goals – based on feedback from the West Hollywood community and stakeholders:
Goal #1: Provide support and resources to City staff and contractors in responding appropriately, safely, and effectively to persons who are experiencing homelessness in West Hollywood.
Goal #2: Support businesses and residents in responding appropriately, safely, and effectively to persons who are experiencing homelessness in West Hollywood.
Goal #3: Establish bridge housing and day center facilities in West Hollywood to serve people who are homeless in the City.
Goal #4: Continue the City’s support for the Rapid Re-Housing program to prevent homelessness among West Hollywood residents.
Goal #5: Increase the number of supportive housing, special needs housing, and other permanent housing options in West Hollywood for people who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness.
Goal #6: Strengthen partnerships with other cities and with nonprofit organizations to support regional and individualized solutions to homelessness.
Goal #7: Prevent homelessness among West Hollywood residents, especially seniors, individuals living with disabilities, and vulnerable families.
Making strides toward meeting the goals of West Hollywood’s Five-Year Plan remains critically important in directing the local response to homelessness and a successful Homekey grant from the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development to adapt the Holloway Motel into an interim housing site would be a significant step.
In the coming weeks, City staff anticipates an update regarding the status of the Homekey application, as well as progress in the City’s efforts to acquire the site. If successful in both areas, the City will begin a community engagement process to collect feedback and input from residents and businesses regarding the project.
The West Hollywood Homeless Initiative seeks to effectively address homelessness. If you are concerned about a community member who is homeless, call the West Hollywood Homeless Initiative Concern Line at (323) 848-6590. If your concern requires time-sensitive assistance during nights or weekends, please call the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at (310) 855-8850.
For more information about the Homeless Initiative, please contact Corri Planck, City of West Hollywood Strategic Initiatives Manager, at (323) 848-6430 or [email protected]. For additional information, please visit www.weho.org/homeless. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
I would like to speak before the city in person on the subject. I would like to read (with all permissions granted) the prologue from Sam Quinones new book, “The Least of Us.” Mr. Quinones is on a book tour. I am in touch with him. He may even be able to appear himself. Arguably his experience and observation of the ‘homeless/drug situation are well researched and commented. And far exceed mine in any way. I would far rather have him speak to it on his own. Housing is the last thing that needs to be created. Sam can tell… Read more »
Any “homeless housing site” would quickly become an attractive nuisance to say the least. The homeless don’t want such housing because they can’t have their drugs there.
Weho sbould not become another downtown LA – if we allow woke democrat lunatics to run this city – it will become increasingly dangerous, increasingly drug infested, and increasingly chaotic
homeless drug addicts should be kept away from high end neighbhoods – this motel will become a center of drug trafficking and crime – motels in weho should be used for tourism not homeless mentally ill characters
The best solution is a combination of proper law enforcement to protect citizens along with an offer of a room–outside of the city–for the homeless who want it and jail or mental institutions for the rest.
I would not support a Homeless Hotel or housing anywhere in West Hollywood. Look into contracting with cheaper housing outside of the city.
BTW, the Homeless Concern line, mentioned in this article, is a joke. 5 years for this plan, and nothing has changed in all that time. Attended the Zoom meeting of all the Homeless entities, and all they did was pat each other on the back. Never have I seen such BS.
The owner of the Holloway Motel told me he is going to reopen and not selling to the city.
Pray, light incense, do a dance, call the Long Island Medium, whatever, that this is true.
Yes. Yelp his motel with 4 stars and mass email,every travel agent in every other country that it’s THE place to stay when visiting Weho!
Let this please be true.
And they better not be thinking about Alta Cienega Motel either.
That one, I cannot say. They don’t even have the grant yet, so their plans seem premature.
Great. This will make travel to shoplift at CVS so much easier.
Once upon a time, in a universe so far distant as to be invisible, citizens were helped to their feet when fallen, indigent families had places to go where they could, live – and work for their keep – to prepare to re-enter society. My grammar school was named The Working Boys Home, funded to provide a home and education forbids who loved on the streets, selling papers, shining shoes, etc. Charity was a term for anonymous assistance to those who club not help themselves. We don’t do these charitable deeds today: No. only in it. Shame on us.
No Carleton. Blind charity is naive. Outcomes and consequences need to be considered.
No Wehofan. Carleton is correct.
And yet you have no point. You inject yourself just to argue with people.
I was agreeing with Carleton’s point. Sorry if you’re offended, WehoFan.
as the cliche` says: ‘Build it and they will come.’ – more and more and more. There must be a better way to deal with homelessness. Unfortunately too many are there because they want to be there, Take no responsibility for their daily lives. Sad, but true.
I keep asking…..never receive an answer.
What does Beverly do about the
homeless problem??
Their urban area is so small it’s easy to manage (not that WeHo is that big) The problem is the choice is to either push them out and become an LA problem or do something about it.
Beverly prefers to push them out and WeHo has decided to do something about it.
Ummm, Beverly Hills area is 5.7 square miles. West Hollywood area is 1.9 square miles. This is a mental health issue and the new meth coming across the border. Not a lack of AFFORDABLE HOUSING. The homeless issue is lack of border control and this, please read” https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/the-new-meth/620174/
Weho does nothing of any great impact, they just don’t allow encampments.
our mistake
BRAVO!!!!! Awesome question.
The City Council has declared war on the residents of West Hollywood. This stinks of Horvath/Shyne/Erickson.